oxytocin is triggered by many things - some sexual, some not - and context is key. when i rub my kid's back when she's sick - not sexual, but certainly i'm flooded with love hormones and it's awesome. when i rub my husband's back - you know, totally different. the brain has evolved to reward us with this hormonal…

you could also remind him your nipples might disappear completely if he isn't careful to appreciate them...

so. true.

me too! what a relief - everyone thinks i'm such a weirdo and i am hoping that by the time sometime tells me i must have a mammogram there will be a new (and magical?) technology where they just wave a wand in my general direction like airport screening or Harry Potter.

@ Galaxy Girl: it's a brain chemistry thing. stimulation increases oxytocin, a hormone which is awesome for decreasing anxiety, increasing empathy and The Feelings. wheee

oh, dude - i'm sorry to hear you're wondering about this stuff from such a personal angle. i've got so many friends with weird birthing outcomes (a strangely high percentage - it must be a coincidence, but it's made me really curious) it's set me off on a path of reading the studies and thinking hard about birth as we…

i am stealing the condom drawer (concept) from you! what a fantastic idea. (and so sorry this is out of sequence and doesn't actually reply to your comment, i'm not sure what happened there.)

oh geez. 40 weeks is an average - some babies arrive earlier and some arrive later. the ones who come earlier are sometimes too early and can be at risk for all kinds of problems, and the ones who come later may have an increased risk of a whole other set of problems.

so totally agree about talking about things earlier! i have a little, little kid - and i swear she's teaching me how to do this stuff. there are these moments she asks questions that are all one step after another of The Talk - i just answer what she's asked and sometimes she'll have a follow-up. it all seems really…